The Jackie Experience
by emerald-soco
Summary: So, Kelso, how long are we gonna have to deal with the whole 'Jackie' experience?
1. When Hyde Met Jackie

Okay, this is a completely random entry into this fandom. I don't even watch this show, I just caught a rerun of 'Jackie Bags Hyde' and loved their chemistry. So I did a little research (okay, a _lot_ of research) and decided to take a stab at writing them.

**When Hyde Met Jackie**

It's a long ride to the concert and so far, it has been made in a relatively uncomfortable silence. Hyde, relaxing with his eyes closed behind his ever-present sunglasses, has almost – _almost_ – drowned out his surroundings and entered a zen state of mind when Kelso's idiot date clears her throat, stretches past him to shut the radio static off, and claps her hands.

"Let's play a getting-to-know-you game!" she suggests perkily.

"Oh, I don't know, Jackie," Kelso laughs, glancing nervously at the rest of the group. "I think we might be –"

"Michael." The tone is a warning. "This car ride is very long and very boring and I do _not_ like being bored. And if _you're_ not going to entertain me, I'll just do it myself."

Hyde snorts and contemplates making a masturbation reference, then decides not to bother since she won't get it, anyway. Kelso, cowed by her remark and the 'go along with this or just see how soon you get any' stare that went with it, wisely shuts up.

"Good! Okay. So a few summer ago at cheer camp, I learned a really easy one. All you have to do is think of an adjective that describes you …"

"Sexy!" Fez calls out, tittering to himself.

Jackie pauses only long enough to shoot him a look of absolute disdain. "… that _also_ starts with the same letter as your first name. It's fun! I'll start. Let's see ... jumping Jackie! Because I'm a cheerleader, get it!"

"Jumping Jackie?" Hyde repeats incredulously and everyone but Eric, extremely intent on the road and not wrecking his precious new baby, turn their eyes towards him. "What? It sounds like a cheap porno, that's all I'm saying."

The cheerleader in question harrumphs, but doesn't give him the satisfaction of a response. Hyde isn't exactly disappointed, any retort she could've come up would probably be lame, but still, he thinks it would have been fun to watch her flounder.

"_Anyway_," Jackie continues, and turns to the boy who's responsible for her being wedged in the backseat of an ugly car with a sex-crazed foreign boy who has repeatedly touched her knee and then licked his fingers. "Ladies first, so Donna's next."

As if to rub her vast leg room in Jackie's face, Donna rests her feet on the dash of the Vista Cruiser and contemplates her bare toes. "I don't know," she muses, "What's a good 'D' word?"

"Delightful," Eric pipes up, still not tearing his eyes from the road. He does, however, release his white-knuckled, ten-and-two grip on the steering wheel to high-five Donna as she exclaims, "Good one, Eric! Delightful Donna it is!"

"No fair, they cheated," Fez protests. "No helping."

"Just another example of the world's unfairness, Fez," Hyde chimes in, "Welcome to America."

"Okay." Jackie leans across Fez, and only Hyde notices that the boy takes the opportunity to ogle down her shirt. "You go."

"Me?" He peers at her over his glasses, careful to maintain eye contact instead of following Fez's lead. "Are you serious?"

"Of course." Her expression is expectant, brows arched over intensely blue eyes as she waits for him to do as she demands. "C'mon, big shot, how would you describe yourself in one word?"

God help him, but he actually does give it a moment's thought. The only thing that comes to mind is … "Unconventional," he declares, with the internal justification that having his adjective start with 'U' attests to the fact that it's the perfect one.

"Hyde broke the ruuules," Kelso sings under his breath, and Eric snickers from the driver's seat, "Uh-oh."

"Oh, come on, nothing good starts with 'H'," he shrugs off, staring out his window at the flat scenery.

"Handsome," Fez suggests, his hand coming dangerously close to caressing Hyde's curls, stopped only by the menacing look on the larger boy's face.

"Wait a minute," says Jackie, and everyone freezes, including Hyde, who is in the middle of making a fist to better threaten Fez with. "Your first name _can't _be Hyde. That's too cruel."

"It's Steven," he answers gruffly, avoiding her gaze.

"So you need an 'S' word." She leans to tap his head lightly, in a gesture of 'duh, stupid'. "Like, sarcastic. Or stoic. Or … suspicious, or _something_."

Silence falls as everyone waits for Hyde's reaction. Finally, he clears his throat, his expression carefully blank as he agrees, "Yeah, sure, one of those will work."

"No fair," Fez complains. "Hyde got an easy one."

"Uh-oh," Eric says again.

"What is it?" Donna asks.

"No, no, no, my baby, don't _do _this," Eric pleads as the car begins to sputter and shake. He pulls over and they all spill out of the car to inspect the damage, Jackie's game long forgotten.

It is only much later, when the concert has ended and they are on their way home, that Eric realizes out loud, "Hey! I never got to pick an adjective to describe me!"

And Hyde realizes that Jackie managed to describe him in three words, within seconds of meeting him. And although he doesn't know what that means about him, or her, he also realizes … he liked it.


	2. Three's Company

**Three's Company**

If there's one thing Hyde's learned since Kelso first started bringing Jackie to the basement, it's that she never shuts up. Day or night, rain or shine, people listening, pretending to listening, or blatantly ignoring her, she doesn't stop.

So to have her storm into the room, flop down on the couch, and begin to tear through a magazine in absolute silence, is a major shock to Hyde's system. What throws him off even more is the fact that, so far, she's lasted two hours and forty three minutes without saying one goddamn word.

He watches her finish the magazine and flip back to the beginning for a third consecutive time and finally breaks. "So … Jackie … whatcha' readin'?"

"Cosmo," she mutters, and doesn't even look up.

Hyde nods, crossing his arms over his Led Zepplin t-shirt. "Cool, cool. Hey … you know Eric and Donna are gone for the weekend, right?"

"That sounds suspiciously like a come-on," she says, narrowing her eyes at the 'What's Hot, What's Not' article.

"I'd have to be stoned," he smirks, and tries to get back on track. "So you're waiting for Kelso, then? You guys back together now or somethin'?"

"_Oh!_" Infuriated, Jackie slapped the magazine shut and hurled it in his direction. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! _God!_ How insensitive can you be? No, Kelso and I are not back together. It's Saturday night, he's probably off at a party sleeping with whatever slutty blond he's with now, and here I am! Stuck in this stupid basement with no one but _you_ for company!"

"Hey," Hyde says defensively. "I didn't ask you to be here. Door's that-a-way, babe, don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out."

"I am just so _sick_ and _tired_ of being alone!" she explodes, and she is pacing now, back and forth so furiously that his head spins as he tries to follow along with the movement. "All I want is for somebody to … oh. Oh, no. I think I'm gonna be sick."

Hyde doesn't move. He can hear her through the basement's thin walls, retching into the toilet and sobbing softly between heaves. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he waits for her to emerge.

When she does, she looks pale, not at all like herself. Jackie on a normal day is like one of his acid trips – all bright colors and loud noise, vibrant and distracting, easy to get lost in. Now, her face is tear-stained and makeup-smudged, her clothes wrinkled, sure signs of the apocalypse.

"Jackie …" he begins, hesitantly. "Do you want to talk?"

"Oh, God," she moans. "Okay. You're probably the closest thing to smart we've got in this place, so … okay. Steven … I think I'm pregnant."

"Oh, crap."

Jackie throws herself down on the couch again, this time so that her head is nearest to his chair, and eyes him meaningfully. "You can't tell anyone yet, Steven."

"'Kay."

"Not even Donna. I haven't said anything to anyone yet. I'm waiting for …"

Her pause snaps Hyde out of his shock. "For what? Kelso to grow up enough to be able to accept that responsibility? See you in the year _never_, Jackie."

"Just shut up," she insists. "I'm not even sure yet, I have an appointment next week, but until then …"

"But you just blew chunks," he says, confused.

"Ew," she says daintily, then explains, "It could just be nerves. Sometimes I get myself so worked up that I get sick."

She sounds like she's trying to convince herself as much as him. And that settles it for Hyde. He stands, grabs the keys to the Vista Cruiser that Eric left behind, and pulls her to her feet. "Come on. The drugstore's still open. You'll take a test."

In the parking lot, she puts her foot down. Or rather, locks the door, hunches down in the passenger seat, and refuses to get out of the car. "People will _see_ me, Steven. They'll know! I can't be head cheerleader if people know I'm … _pregnant."_

She whispers the last word harshly, as if it's a disease. Fed up, exhausted, and – frankly – curious as all hell, Hyde slams the door, marches straight up to the night clerk of the Quik-E-Mart, and demands the most expensive home pregnancy kit they have.

Three minutes and $4.95 later, he returns to the car, hands her the purchase, and propels them quickly back to the Forman residence.

"Go," he directs, gesturing to the bathroom door, "Learn."

She ducks her head as she brushes by him so that he can't see her face, but he's almost positive he hears a quiet chuckle. The sound of it stays with him, unable to be drowned out by the seven o'clock news turned up to full volume, until she exits the bathroom again and lets the door close behind her with a soft click.

Hyde doesn't know why he feels so grim. If Jackie _is_ pregnant, there's nothing he can really do about it. And it won't really affect him all that much, in the long run. Besides having to listen to her complain about swollen feet and Kelso freak out about being a dad, both of which he can tune out in a heartbeat, he has no real vested interest in the outcome of the test.

Still, he taps his foot impatiently as she makes her way over to him. "Well? What's the verdict?"

Jackie shakes her head slowly. "I'm not."

"You're not?"

"I'm not."

"Well, that's great!" Coming dangerously close to showing emotion, Hyde clears his throat and backpedals. "Isn't it?"

"Are you kidding? It's a miracle! I just … I'm just wondering if maybe I'm kind of a bad person. I mean, I am _so_ happy to not be having a baby. Does that make me awful?"

"I think it makes you a normal sophomore cheerleader," he informs her. "Congratulations on your non-pregnancy, Jackie."

"Thank you, Steven." She sits, but leans forward to clasp his hand. "Really. For everything you did tonight."

Hyde shrugs. "No big deal. Just didn't want to see you sulking all night."

"Can you just do me one more favor?"

"It never ends, does it?"

"Don't tell anyone I thought I was … well. Just don't say anything about tonight, okay, Steven? Please?"

He nods and tells her, "Sure thing, but just 'cause you asked so nicely."

And he keeps two secrets about the night – Jackie's situation, and the fact that he agreed not to tell because she called him Steven and held his hand.


	3. Dirty Disco Dancing

**Dirty Disco Dancing**

"Hyde, you're taking me to the prom tonight."

Hyde thinks he must be more stoned than he's ever been in his life. Because there is no way Jackie Burkhart is standing in front of him, hands on hips, and demanding him to escort her to what is sure to be _the_ lamest event in Point Place's history.

"Dude." He looks to Eric for confirmation. "Did we smoke?"

"Nah, man," Eric shakes his head. "But why don't me and Donna leave you two alone to sort this out?"

Despite Hyde's loud groan of protest, the couple hurry up the stairs, leaving him to face Jackie's wrath. "Listen," he proposes. "I don't really know how to put this nicely, so I'm just gonna say it. … I would rather _die_ than go anywhere with you. Especially this stupid prom."

"You don't really think it's all that stupid," Jackie retorts. "You're just saying that so you can still be cool Hyde who resists all things organized and commercial. Whatever, man, if that's your thing, but just for tonight, you're gonna forget all that and put on a suit and pick me up at eight."

Command issued, she turns on her heel and leaves as abruptly as she'd come. Eric and Donna are back the moment she's gone, still holding the glasses they'd been pressing against the basement door in an effort to hear more clearly.

"Oh my God!" Donna bursts out laughing when she sees the stunned expression on her friend's face. "Hyde! You're taking Jackie to prom!"

"What? No, he didn't say yes. He didn't say _anything_, Donna," Eric argues.

"Look at that face, Eric. Open your eyes." They both peer intently at Hyde. "He's taking her."

For his part, Hyde does his best to portray reluctance and a little bit of disgust as, hours later, he readies himself for a memorable night. He has to borrow a suit from Red because Eric is so scrawny and Kitty claps her hands delightedly and snaps about a dozen photos before letting the two boys leave the house.

When they pull up to Jackie's house, Hyde tries one last time to weasel out of the night, "Forman, why don't you tell her I got sick, huh? I can duck behind the bushes and walk back from here. Be a pal."

Eric seems to consider the idea, probably because he knows Jackie won't go alone and he'd do anything for more privacy with Donna. The girl ruins it, though, with a sharp blow to his bicep and a menacing look at Hyde. "You march right up to that door and get your date, Steven Hyde," she directs, "And make sure to tell her she looks good."

Muttering all the way, he does as he's told. He knows he can't bail now, that he never really had a choice of bailing, because it would be too mean to subject Jackie to the humiliation of not going to prom. He knows her, he's sure she's had a dress for weeks and that she bought shoes especially to match and bragged to all her friends how cool it was going to be. He doesn't want to be lumped in with the pile of losers who've disappointed her, Kelso included.

Jackie's house is bigger than Hyde could have imagined, and her father is just as imposing. He remains silent while leading Hyde to the living room to wait then, just as Jackie calls that she'll be down momentarily, leans in to say, "Son. I've never heard of you until this afternoon and I don't know why you're taking Jackie to prom instead of that Kelso boy, but mark my words, if anything goes wrong for her tonight … it'll be your head."

"Ready!" Jackie chirps as she enters the room and Hyde does something he'd never thought he'd do – thanks God for the sound of her voice. "Wow, Steven, you sure do clean up nice."

The words _'back atcha' _were almost out of his mouth before he looked up and was struck dumb. Her dress was light pink and form-fitting, her curls swept atop her head to give her a soft, elegant look. And he'd been right … the shoes matched perfectly.

"Wow. Jackie, you look … beautiful," he manages to get out, then immediately slams his mouth shut.

She looks pleased at the effect she's had. "Thanks, Steven. We should go, Eric and Donna probably want to kill me. Bye, Daddy, I love you."

The ride to the school isn't long, but it feels that way to Hyde. The girls are chattering mindlessly, swapping predictions of how the night will go and who will wear what, and every time the car takes a turn, Jackie slides a little in her seat and her thigh brushes his. He wishes he didn't notice it as much as he does. He also wishes the trip had more turns.

He refuses to think about what his wishes mean.

He manages to lure Jackie away from the dance floor at first, coaxing her away with the point that all the good stuff at the buffet will be gone if they don't get in line. When they've finished eating – and man, can she pack it in, a fact that fascinates him considering she's 95 pounds - he distracts her again with the idea of making the rounds of the room to show off how much better she looks than anyone else.

"Steven, don't me wrong, you're a great date," she says when they've made their second circulation and she's had all the praise she can handle, "But … are you gonna dance with me, or what?"

Compared to the endless squeals of 'Oh my God you look _amazing_!' and '_Where_ did you find that dress?' he just subjected himself to, the dance floor beckons like an oasis. "Sure," he surrenders, "Let's go."

Smiling, she hooks her arm through his and bats her lashes lovingly. "Don't sound so enthused."

It's while they're dancing that Hyde finally starts to relax. The music, while completely not his taste, is low enough to tune out and slow enough so that he doesn't need to embarrass himself. He just … sways, back and forth, and Jackie nestles in closer, resting her head on his shoulder, and he begins to feel zen.

"Ugh," Jackie says, breaking in on his momentary peace, and Hyde is surprised to find that he's closed his eyes. He opens them and follows her line of sight and finds Kelso cuddling in the middle of the dance floor with none other than Pam Macey. "What does he _see_ in her?"

"Don't freak out," Hyde admonishes before she can begin one of her patented Jackie rants. "Don't give him the satisfaction. He's gonna look this way in a second, and when he does, just … do what you always do. Look good."

She tilts her head. "You think I always look good?"

Hyde shrugs and fumbles for an offhanded response. "Well, I wouldn't kick you out of bed."

Jackie laughs. "You're something else, Steven Hyde. Tell you what. You were so great tonight that I'll let us cut out early … as soon as you admit you had fun."

"I had fun," Hyde says, so quickly that she laughs again, a sound he can feel himself getting used to. "Now let's blow this joint."

And just as Hyde predicted, Kelso finally glances their way. It takes a moment for him to recognize them, as Jackie giggles and her eyes shine up at Hyde, who is cracking a small, genuine smile in return. As realization dawns, his friend leads his ex girlfriend out the door, his hand resting on the small of her back like it belongs.


	4. Summer Lovin'

**Summer Lovin'**

"I am bored now," Fez announces, and it's the first thing anyone has said in over an hour. "This sucks."

Eric reaches across Donna's lap for the remote and shuts the t.v. off, capturing the room's attention. "For once in my life, I'm in agreement with Fez. I mean, summertime in Wisconsin is about as bad as –"

"Every other season in Wisconsin?" Hyde suggests.

"Exactly," Eric says.

"I have a _fantastic_ idea!" Jackie cries out suddenly, clapping her hands with the excitement of it.

Kelso and Fez exchange looks, but only Hyde is brave enough to say, "No, you don't, sit down."

"Shut up, _Steven_," she instructs, dragging at least three extra syllables out of his name. It's a talent he almost admires, and one he doesn't mind nearly as much as he pretends to. "Why don't we sneak into a hotel pool to swim?"

"Jackie, you _have_ a pool," Donna points out.

"Yeah, but I don't want to let _him_ in it," she argues, gesturing to Fez.

"Listen, lady," he starts, looking offended, then gives it a moment's thought and changes his mind. "No, I see her point."

"Besides," Kelso laughs, "Some dirty things have gone on in that pool – very dirty things, am I right, Jackie?"

Her stony glare is answer enough for all of them. "Are you referring to the time I caught you making out with my cousin in that pool, Michael?"

"Uh – no, no, that's not –"

"Or maybe you're thinking of the time you got your pride and joy stuck in the jet stream," she continues.

The room bursts into laughter and Kelso has to raise his voice to defend himself, "She's talking about my nose! The nose makes the whole face! It's the _center_!"

"Okay, enough of this," Donna interrupts, though she's still cracking up. "I like Jackie's idea, so we're going to my house to grab our suits. If any of you losers wanna tag along, be outside in ten minutes."

The girls leave together and the boys sit in silence for a long moment. At the same time, Fez and Kelso snap, wrestling each other to be first out the door.

"Guys, what are you _doing_?" Eric asks when a few minutes have passed and neither of them have made it to the exit.

"Girls – in – swimsuits!" Fez gasps out, caught in Kelso's headlock.

"It'll be almost like they're naked!" Kelso exclaims, and goes down as Fez hooks an arm around his leg and pulls.

Eric seems to consider it for a second, then leaps over the struggling boys and hurries to the driveway. Hyde pretends disinterest for another minute, mostly for appearance's sake, then follows suit.

"Okay, guys, now we have to be cool," Jackie coaches as they approach the hotel's revolving door. "Just act like you totally belong and are heading up to your room after a long day of shopping – or something," she adds off the bland looks the boys give her.

"I never thought _Jackie_ would be lecturing _me_ on being cool," Hyde mutters to Eric before stepping through the entrance.

Eric waits to reach the lobby before whispering back to Hyde, "I never thought you'd be taking orders from Jackie, much less going along with her ideas. Ever since prom, Hyde, you guys have been pretty cool with each other."

"Hey, man," Hyde says in warning, "I was promised almost naked chicks. You're here, too, remember."

They turn to wait the rest of their friends and Hyde, despite himself, finds his eyes latch onto Jackie. She and Donna had squeezed into one of the door's openings together and were laughing hysterically as they were forced to take tiny, mincing steps to break through. "Okay," she says breathlessly when they've made it, "Let's do this."

"Uh, Jackie." Hyde tries to hold back his laughter, he really does, but seeing Kelso and Fez _stuck_ in the revolving door gives the phrase 'laugh out loud' a whole new meaning. He gives in to his amusement, doubling over along with Eric and Donna, the three of them gasping for breath until even Jackie is forced to crack a smile.

Unfortunately, the two boys are unable to free themselves and catch the attention of the hotel's concierge. The whole group is escorted back to the Vista Cruiser, despite Jackie's adamant claims that she's 'never seen this group of badly-dressed, obviously insane losers' before in her life.

"Well, that was a good idea, she-devil," Eric says dryly. Jackie sticks her tongue out at the back of his head, a move he catches in the rearview mirror. "What's next? Knocking over a liquor store? 'Cause, I gotta tell ya, getting frisked by a cop twice in one day would pretty much make my life."

"We know, Forman," Hyde puts in and the burn, while only implied, shuts Eric right up. Jackie, pressed close to Hyde due to the close quarters of the car and wanting to be as far from 'Kelso's cheating ass' as possible, touches his knee in silent thanks.

"I guess we could just go to my pool," she suggests. "It won't be as fun, but since some of us aren't mature enough to handle anything riskier, we might as well."

Fez raises his hand. "Does this mean there will still be swimsuits?"

"No, we should all skinny dip instead," Jackie responds irritably and, seeing his eyes light up, quickly adds, "Just kidding. Sarcasm. Ew."

Jackie goes to the kitchen to rummage up snacks while the rest of the group makes a beeline for the water. When she arrives poolside with a tray of drinks in hand, Hyde is sitting in a lawn chair, hands clasped behind his head. "Nice of you to let us plebeians into your humble abode," he says sardonically, and she ignores the combative tone.

"Are you kidding?" she says, fluffing her hair and stripping down. "I was showing this bikini off no matter what. I just bought it the other day, do you like?"

With that, she enters the water in one graceful dive, leaving Hyde speechless. When she resurfaces, her eyes find him immediately and she winks before busying herself organizing a game of Marco Polo. And he smirks, because he's starting to think she's a lot smarter than she lets on … and he might just like it more than he's willing to admit.


	5. Mall Madness

**Mall Madness**

"Is Eric here?"

Hyde doesn't have to look away from yet another rerun of _I Dream of Genie_ to know who's barging into the basement. He doesn't even need to hear the unmistakable voice. Jackie's perfume always enters a room before her and lingers long after she's gone, just one more thing on a long list of things he doesn't mind as much as he pretends to.

"Well, hello, Jackie," he says, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. "Nice to see you, too."

"Steven." She moves purposely to stand in front of the t.v. and puts her hands on her hips. "Is Eric here?"

"Why?"

"None of your business. God, nosy much?"

Hyde feigns dialing a telephone and holding it to his ear. "Hi, pot? This it kettle. You're black."

She considers for all of two seconds, then nods in assent. "Fair enough. I need a ride to the mall."

"Wow, that sounds really important," he mocks. "Wait … that's not true at all."

Exasperated, she looks to the heavens in a 'why me?' pose. "For the last time, Steven, where's Eric?"

"He and Donna took the Vista Cruiser out for a picnic." He probably could have gone at least another ten minutes without telling her, but when the veins in her neck start to bulge like that, he gets worried. "They won't be back for awhile."

"Ew, and I won't get in the backseat for awhile," Jackie scoffs. "A picnic. Right. I've heard that one before."

Hyde shudders at the implication and stands. "Thanks for that immensely disturbing detail, Cracker Jacks. I'll be in my room, poking my eyes out."

"Wait. Steven." He knows from the pleading tone of her voice that turning around is a big mistake, but he does it anyway. A glutton for punishment, that's Steven Hyde, alright. And there it is, that look – round doe eyes, a pouting lower lip … he's a goner. "I really need a ride. There's a huge sale and I need a new fall wardrobe before school starts again. Please?"

"Oh, man," he sighs. "Okay. But we stay half an hour, tops. Got it?"

"Got it!" Gleeful, she hooks her arms around his neck in a quick hug, then races out to the El Camino. "You're the boss! Whatever you say goes."

Hyde is against organization of any kind, so he's never worn a watch. But he's damn sure thirty minutes have come and gone. Jackie's torn through five stores and collected double the bags, which he's somehow been roped into carrying. "Jackie, are we done yet?" he complains, "My feet hurt from all this walking."

"You know," she informs him as she pauses to examine a cashmere sweater that costs more than Hyde's entire wardrobe, "If you hadn't sat on your ass all summer, you'd have more stamina."

"Oh, I've got stamina," he smirks, "I just put it to other uses. And don't knock sitting on my ass, I wasn't alone in that basement. You, missy, were just as unproductive as me."

That makes her pause. "Oh my God, you're right. That's a new level of gross. I haven't even practiced any cheer routines since … June!"

"You mean you might forget how to stand up and clap at the same time?" he says in mock horror. "Oh, no!"

"Oh, shut your pie hole." Rolling her eyes, she turns her attention back to the clothing rack she's perusing, then freezes. "Did I just say …"

He's nodding, looking extremely pleased with himself. "'Shut your pie hole'? You did indeed."

"Ugh." She shudders. "You really _are_ rubbing off on me. That's it. We're out of here. My shopping buzz is dead and buried."

Thankful, he doesn't even gripe about lugging all the bags while she walks two paces in front and snaps over her shoulder for him to keep up. He does, however, consider driving away after he's placed her purchases in the backseat and she's yet to get in the car.

"You waitin' for an engraved invitation?" he asks through the window, already seated behind the wheel with the engine running.

"I'm _waiting_ for someone to be a gentleman and open the door for me," she says pointedly.

Hyde shakes his head, amazed at the amount of bitchiness such a small girl can sometimes exude, and put the car in reverse. "Let me know how that goes for you," he advises, and begins to roll backward.

"_Ow! Oh my God, ow!" _Jackie doubles over in pain and Hyde slams on the brakes, moving with surprising speed to be by her side. "You ran over my _foot_!"

"Jackie, I'm so sorry." He hurries to help, swinging open the passenger door and lifting her into the seat, carefully maneuvering her legs. "Let me see, we should take off the shoes, see if anything's swollen."

"All better," she announces before he can actually go through with his ministrations. Hyde looks up and, before her bright smile even registers, knows that he's been taken in. She was faking to get her way, and it had worked like a charm.

"You know, that was a scumbag move, even for you," he tells her, annoyed, as he goes back to his seat. She waits. "But I'm a little impressed."

"Thought so," she smirks. And before he can start to go again, she produces a record from one of her numerous bags. "For you."

"What's this?"

"A Led Zepplin album, duh," she answers the rhetorical question. "I got it for you, thought you might like it."

"Like it? I love it," he assures her, studying his newest possession. "Jackie, this is really nice of you … what's the catch?"

"Hey." Offended, she punches his arm lightly. "No catch, jerk. I just thought, since you were nice enough to bring me to the mall and carry my bags, I should do something nice for you."

"Well, thank you," he says sincerely. "And, hey, if you wanna do something else nice for me …"

Jackie arches a brow. "Ew. You only carried bags, Steven. You should have seen what Michael had to do before he got anything _that_ nice. Now drive."

Laughing, he does as he's told.


	6. Fight For Your Right

**Fight For Your Right**

"Guys. I'm gonna get Jackie back."

There is silence in the circle as Kelso's cheerful statement takes a moment to process through the haze they've created for themselves. Eric is the first to react, letting out a high-pitched, girlish giggle that Hyde would make fun of he wasn't frozen in place by the news.

"You're gonna do _what_?" Eric laughs.

"He is going to get Jackie back," Fez explains patiently, then narrows his eyes as it sinks in. "Hey, you bastard, what makes you think that innocent flower will take you back again?"

"Oh, please! Did you see the way she was looking at me this morning? She kept catching my eye and touching her lips." Kelso rolls his eyes at his friends' obliviousness. "She obviously wants my body. _Ow!"_

Hyde retracts his fist calmly. "Dude, you're an idiot. She was trying to tell you that you had chocolate all over your face."

"He still does, actually," Eric stage-whispers to Fez, and they cackle together as Kelso frantically paws at his mouth.

"Listen, dweeb, focus," Hyde says, knocking Kelso's hand away from his face. "When're you gonna put this master plan into action?"

"At Rebecca Morrison's party," Kelso informs them smugly.

"I heard about that party," Fez nods wisely. "When I was listening outside the girl's locker room, Rebecca told Kelly Luzman that her parents would not be home and she would be getting a keg from the frat she slept with."

"Do you mean … frat _guy_, Fez?" Eric carefully enunciates his words, wanting the other boy to hear him clearly.

Fez purses his lips. "No, she most definitely said 'frat'."

"Well, who cares how many times Becky's saddled up?" Hyde expertly changes the subject to something more pertinent. "She's got free beer! When is this shindig, Kelso, and do we need to forge invitations?"

"It's open house, man, and it's _tonight_!" As his own words dawn, Kelso scrambles out of his seat. "Oh, man, I gotta go get ready! Jackie will never go back out with me if I smell like a stoner!"

Jackie arrives in the basement a few hours later, dressed to kill and proclaiming, "Don't I look fabulous?" with a model's turn so her audience can get a glimpse of every angle.

Fez applauds and Donna, smirking, leans over to whisper in Hyde's ear, "Shut your trap, you're catching flies."

He glares at her, but re-fastens his jaw and manages to sit stoically while Kelso spins Jackie once, twice, then dips her and declares her, "Fit for a King."

The entire room, minus Jackie, catches the reference and instead of letting anyone dwell on it, Donna claps her hand briskly. "Alright, is there a party to go to or not? Let's get this show on the road!"

Hyde's first order of business upon arriving at the party is securing them all a beer, which Jackie eyes distastefully but gulps down like a pro. "Ugh, that stuff's awful," she claims upon draining her cup. "I'm gonna go sit and see which cute boy will be first to get me another one."

"Oh, Jackie, I'll get you one," Kelso offers.

Her finger jabs into his chest. "No. No way, Michael, you stay far away from me. Boys won't come near me if they think I'm with you."

Hyde sniggers, "Burn," and grabs another beer as the group disperses. Parties really aren't his thing, but since Kelso was planning to make a move, he figured he had to be there for this one. He situates himself against the wall, keeping a careful eye on Jackie and her steady flow of admirers. One by one, guys turn up, hand her a drink, and are awarded the privilege of sitting next to her on the couch until she finishes it.

Hyde shakes his head disapprovingly, but can't turn away when Kelso decides to try his hand. The clueless boy puts an arm around Jackie, whispers something in her ear, and is rewarded with a slap in the face. As Jackie storms past him, Hyde notices her lack of balance and hurries to follow her.

"Jackie, Jackie, Jackie!" he calls just before she barricades herself in the bathroom. "Hey, wait a minute! Can I come in?"

"The more the merrier," she says sarcastically, and he slips in anyway just before she closes the door in his face.

"Ugh, I can't _stand_ Michael Kelso anymore, I really can't!" she seethes, slurring the words together. "He is _such_ a sleaze! Was he so sleazy when I was going with him?"

"Well, yeah," Hyde answers bluntly. "That's why you broke up with him, remember? Pam Macey? Prom?"

"Aw, prom." She grabs his face with both hands, her palms soft and cool on his skin. "You were so nice to take me to prom, Steven Hyde. Did I ever properly thank you for that?"

"It was no big deal," he says, a little uncomfortable as her hips grind against his. "Besides, I didn't think Jackie Burkhart "_did"_ grateful."

She tosses her hair, pouting prettily. "Yeah, well, maybe you don't know me as well as you think."

"Maybe you don't know what you're doing right now," he tells her. And stepping back is probably the hardest thing he's done since the time he had to convince Mrs. Forman that he wasn't stoned out of his mind at the dinner table, but he does it, because it's the right thing to do.

And when exactly he, Steven Hyde, became a 'nice guy' who did the 'right' thing all the time is a mystery even to him. He's not sure he likes it. But it has to be better than saying 'screw it' and kissing her like he wants to and pushing her up against the wall like he's dreamed about. Because he _does_ know Jackie, and she'll make him pay for it tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that.

"Come on," he says finally, lacing his fingers with hers. "I'll take you home."

"I don't wanna go home," she mumbles, staggering down the sidewalk with his arm looped around her waist for support. "No one's ever there and I'm tired of being by myself all the time."

He'd actually meant the basement when he said 'home'. Hyde forgot, sometimes, due to the amount of time the six of them spent beneath the Formans, that some of them had other places to go and people to answer to. Before he can explain that to Jackie, she leans her head on his shoulder and mumbles, "Can you carry me, Steven? I'm so dizzy."

"You better not remember this in the morning," he whispers sternly, and sweeps her into his arms.


	7. Morning Glory

**Morning Glory**

Jackie wakes up in a bed that severely lacks stuffed animals and fabric softener and immediately knows something is wrong. Sitting up, she discovers her fabulous party outfit missing, replaced by a pair of boy's boxers and a wrinkled t-shirt that smells somewhat familiar.

Before she can start screaming bloody murder, Hyde enters the room and quickly kicks the door closed behind him. "Oh, good, you're up," he says, and sets a breakfast tray down on the nightstand. "I was beginning to think you were dead and I did _not _want to have to explain that to Red."

She gapes at him, speechless. He, too, is minimally clad, wearing only his sweatpants and a wife beater, his ever present sunglasses for once MIA. Taking no notice of her shock, he continues to ramble, "I figure you're a pretty picky eater, so I grabbed a little of everything I could before Mrs. Forman came back to the kitchen. Oh, and some aspirin, you've probably got one hell of a headache."

"_What the hell_ –" her screech is cut off abruptly by his hand clamping down on her mouth. Jackie continues to protest, her speech muffled by his palm, then hits upon a more effective tactic.

"_Ow!" _Hyde exclaims, jumping away from her and cradling the hand she'd bitten down on. "What the hell was that for! You broke the skin!"

"Serves you right," she responds primly, rearranging herself so that she is cross-legged in his bed and the covers are pulled to her shoulders.

Inspecting the damage, he practically growls at her. "How do you figure that?"

"You wouldn't let me talk."

"I was doing the world a favor," he grumbles, more to himself than anything, and finally looks up from his battle wound. "And trying not to get us caught. Good job being stealth, double-oh-stupid."

"Listen, mister," she threatens angrily, "I don't know what your problem is or why I'm even _here_, but if you don't start explaining yourself right this instant, you're gonna wake up tomorrow with those sideburns shaved right off."

"You wouldn't dare."

She meets his stare dead on, fire flashing in her eyes. "Try me."

Hyde holds the staring contest for another minute, mostly to prove to himself that he could win if he really wanted to, then breaks into a tangent. "This is the thanks I get. You know, try to do one good thing, even the score between me and the man, maybe make up for the shoplifting thing, and what happens? I get _bitten_. By a small, vapid beast that probably has seven different kinds of rabies!"

"Aw, but Steven," she bats her eyelashes innocently. "You shouldn't be scared of rabies. You've gotten way worse STDs from all those easy skanks you mess around with."

"Oh, leave my skanks out of this," he says irritably. "At least they're always satisfied and don't have to look elsewhere for more pleasure, like, oh say, _your_ boyfriend did?"

Jackie gasps and, as if on cue, her eyes fill with tears. "Steven Hyde," she says, her voice trembling, "You are the _meanest_ person I have ever met."

"_Me?_" he repeats, incredulous. "You think _I'm_ mean? Here I am, trying to help you out after I already saved your ass last night, and what do I get for my trouble? Bitten, that's what! You're impossible, woman! And you can't hold your liquor! And … and you're crying. Oh, God. Please don't cry."

"Well, I don't know why you're _yelling_ at me," she whines through her sobs. "I didn't do _anything_ to you. I just bit you 'cause you _scared_ me."

Hyde slumps down on the bed next to her, defeated. "Okay, okay, enough already. I'm sorry, Jackie. I'm sorry I scared you. I just didn't want Red to hear you screaming at me. _This_ would be a little hard to explain."

"But_ I_ don't even know what's going on," she continues to cry, but the intensity has definitely lessened. He breathes a small sigh of relief. "What am I doing here? In your clothes?"

"Jackie, I brought you here after the party last night," he reminds her. "You were drunk. You put on my clothes 'cause you said you didn't wanna wrinkle your party dress."

She's still eyeing him suspiciously, but there's a vague recollection of the night forming in her mind and she's pretty sure he's telling the truth. It would explain her headache. And the fact that the shirt she's wearing is not only wrinkled, but backwards.

"And _nothing_ happened?" she asks, just to be on the safe side.

"Nothing," he promises. "Do I look like Fez to you?"

She giggles a little at that and, after a minute has passed in silence, offers him a small, apologetic grin. "Sorry I bit your hand, Steven."

"Eh, no big deal," he brushes off, though it's still throbbing and will probably bruise. And won't that just be a joy to explain to the guys. "Sorry I tried to smother you."

"It happens," she shrugs and they both laugh. Another minute goes by. Jackie nudges his shoulder gently with her own. "About that breakfast …"

"Oh, yeah," he remembers, reaching for the tray. "Mrs. Forman's probably been up since dawn, there's quite a spread laid out up there. Of course, you'll have to settle for the scraps I could grab."

Her eyes light up at the tray's contents. A waffle, two blueberry pancakes, a corn muffin, one bowl of sliced melon and another of strawberries … "Steven," she says in wonder, "You call these scraps?"

"You forget I once had a lucrative career as a shoplifter," he jokes. "All kinds of stuff just falls into my hands."

Jackie arches an eyebrow at him over the strawberry she's popping into her mouth. "Lucky you," she mumbles as she chews.

"No, lucky you," he disagrees. "It's just a good thing that I decided to use my powers for good and not evil, or else you'd be starving right now."

"Then you're still the lucky one," she argues right back, breaking the muffin in half and offering him a chunk. "'Cause I get cranky when I'm hungry."

"You? Cranky?" Hyde feigns disbelief. "Never."

And he kind of expects it when the rest of her muffin hits him squarely in the nose.


	8. Poor Little Rich Girl

**Poor Little Rich Girl**

Jackie doesn't remember the last time she cried for any other purpose than to get her way. That was how it had always worked in her life … she wanted something, she cried, she got it. It worked on her distracted father, her absent mother, hell, even on her good-for-nothing cheater of an ex-boyfriend Kelso.

Right now, however, the tears she's shedding have nothing to do with some unfulfilled "dire need". She's crying honest-to-god tears, ones that she can't just turn off like she usually does. And because she doesn't want anyone else to see her like this, she's locked herself away in Hyde's bedroom.

As for the rest of the group, she knows they're probably gathered around the mute television, pretending to watch a muted _The Price Is Right _rerun but really listening intently to every word that she and Donna exchange through the closed door.

"Jackie, please come out now," the redhead pleads to no avail. "Come on, it's not that bad. At least come talk to us."

"Why?" Jackie challenges, "So Eric can call the newspaper and give them a quote from the daughter of a real life _criminal?_ So Kelso can make some lame-ass joke about soap on a rope and yell 'burn'? No way am I coming out until every single one of you is gone!"

There's a small pause, in which she think she might finally have won herself the opportunity to sneak out so she can mourn privately at her own house. Then she hears Kelso's timid voice saying, "It wasn't gonna be about soap. I had a good one lined up about …"

"Kelso, shut _up_!" Donna hisses, and bangs on the door again. "Jackie?"

"Leave me alone!" she shrieks, and hurls the first object she can get her hands on at the door.

Hyde hears the thump and stands, deciding he's had more than enough of this drama. "All right, that's it. Jackie, if that was my Buddha statue, things are going down."

Jackie cringes. "It was ugly anyway."

"Oh, them's fightin' words," he mutters darkly. "Everyone, clear out." The group stares at him blankly until he barks, "Now!"

"Jeez, a girl barricades herself alone in his room and he gets all testy," Kelso murmurs to Fez as they make their way to the stairs.

"That is probably because they never barricade themselves in the room _with _him," Fez titters, and jumps away when Hyde takes a step toward him.

"Now, Steven," Mrs. Forman pauses at the bottom of the stairs to lecture, "I want you to be gentle with her, okay? Poor thing's just gotten some shocking news and you need to be sensitive to her needs, do you understand me?"

"I hear ya, Mrs. Forman," he agrees, and waits until the basement is empty before storming across the room and pounding on his door. "Jackie, if you don't open this door in two seconds, I'm gonna call all the guys I know in prison and let 'em know about the newbie on the way."

The door swings open and Jackie accuses flatly, "You're a terrible person."

"And you look like hell," he shrugs, brushing past her to enter. "Jackie. Did it have to be the Buddha?"

"It was the first thing I got my hands on," she defends. "My bad."

Hyde gives a long-suffering sigh and places the statue back in its rightful place. "Well?" he prods, when she's matched him beat for beat in the silent treatment. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Oh, Steven, it's so _awful_!" she cries, collapsing onto his bed. "Daddy going to jail and everyone talking about what a horrible person he is! He's not a bad guy, really, he just did illegal things to make himself more happy! I was happier too, does that mean _I'm_ guilty?"

Reluctantly, he takes a seat next to her and pats her shoulder. "Oh, Jackie, the only thing you're guilty of is getting most of your life's thrills from harassing people who are less fortuante than you."

"And that's not _so_ bad, _is_ it?" she weeps, curling into a ball under his arm.

He scoffs under his breath and, louder, placates, "There, there."

Hyde isn't completely heartless. He really does feel bad for her, especially because she's taking the scandal so hard. He could've seen it coming a mile away – a wealthy politician making half his millions from dirty deals? Please. It's been done to death.

"Listen, Jackie," he tries, "Your dad will buy his way out of the slammer in no time."

"He _can't_," she moans. "We're broke. And I don't know how to be poor. How did you do it all those years?"

"Mostly, I stole," he answers truthfully. "But you're not broke, Jackie. Your dad's a smart guy. I'm sure he left you plenty of money in some off-shore bank account the government can't access."

"You think so?" Peering at him hopefully through red-rimmed eyes, Jackie began to pull herself together.

"That's what all the good criminals do," Hyde assures her.

Jackie throws her arms around his neck with a force that knocks them back against his pillows. "Oh, Steven, I'm sorry I threw your ugly fat guy statue."

Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that he's currently pinned beneath her in his locked bedroom, but her complete dismissal of the statue's importance makes him chuckle. "It's _Buddha, _Jackie."

"Whatever." Taking advantage of the position, she settles down on her side, resting her head on his chest and listening to his slow, steady heartbeat. "Thanks for talking to me, Steven. It helped."

"Well, thanks for letting me in my room," he says in return.

She giggles and then pauses. "You know," she muses, then, "Never mind."

"What?"

"Never mind," she insists, "It's stupid."

"Jackie, I am not above putting my earlier threat into effect unless you say what you were about to say," Hyde coerces.

"I was just thinking," she says shyly, "That you're probably the best friend I've got."

Hyde's entire body tenses. This is it, his golden opportunity, the perfect chance to grab her by the shoulders, kiss her senseless, and show her how he really feels. Seconds tick by. Embarrassed by his lack of response, Jackie racks her brain for something to cover the awkward silence.

"Besides Donna, that is. But everyone knows two girls can't really be _best_ friends, 'cause they'll always secretly be jealous of each other."


	9. It's My Party

Thanks so much to everyone who's leaving reviews, especially those of you who've left multiple comments! I love hearing everyone's feedback, I'm still nervous about how I'm doing with writing a show I've never seen. I'm gonna wind this story down 'cause I wanna concentrate on another one set in the current season, but stay tuned for the final chapters of this!

**It's My Party**

"This cake is delicious, Mrs. Forman," Jackie says, happily devouring her second piece of the baked good. It's really nice of the Formans to throw her a birthday party. It doesn't matter that half her gratitude stems from the fact that Hyde would be forced to acknowledge her birthday if it was celebrated right under his roof. The point is, she recognizes that none of them _had_ to go out of their way for her and she really does appreciate it.

"She's right, Mom," Eric agrees, digging in as well. "I'm a little offended 'cause, being your son and all, it's rightfully _me _who should get the yummy dessert and the tasteful social gathering to celebrate his arrival into the world so many moons ago, but I get embarrassing, juvenile parties and –"

"Kid, shut up and cut me another slice," Red orders, adding a light slap to the back of his son's head for good measure.

"Burn!" Kelso shouts gleefully.

Red raises his fork to Kelso's eyes and says calmly, "If you shout out that ridiculous pseudo-insult one more time, I won't be held responsible for where this fork ends up."

"Oh, Red, be nice." Kitty swats his arm down playfully. "He's just a little sugar-high, aren't you, Michael?"

He nods furiously, jamming a huge bite of cake into his mouth to prove the point. Hyde rolls his eyes and whispers to Donna, "Sugar-high looks a lot like brain dead, doesn't it?"

She stifles her laughter, but the private conversation catches the birthday girl's attention. Jackie continues to make a show of enjoying the cake (even though her Daddy would've hired a _real _chef to bake something from scratch, instead of Mrs. Forman's 'add water to powder' formula) but watches the pair out of the corner of her eye.

"You know, Jackie," Kelso says when he's swallowed enough cake to keep him full for three days, "You look as sweet as this frosting tastes."

Normally, she would point out that it's kind of a backward compliment since he's gonna throw all that frosting up in a few minutes. But with Hyde being a jerk and totally ignoring her – on her _birthday_, for Pete's sake! – she leans in close and coos, "Aw, Michael, I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Something along those lines usually works," he confirms with his self-proclaimed 'I'm beautiful and I know it' grin.

Jackie is about to deliver a joking retort when she catches Hyde and Donna sharing yet another private laugh and snaps.

"Michael Kelso, you are _such _a jerk," she announces, scraping her chair back and standing. "I am so sick of stupid boys who pretend to care about me just to pass the time!"

"Jackie, what's the matter?" Donna asks, reaching for her friend's hand.

"Hands off, traitor!" Jackie commands, sidestepping her and running straight into Hyde's solid chest. She sizes him up, pokes a finger in his chest and says, "And you! You're the worst of all!"

His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline and he stands speechless as she storms out of the room. "Well, that was unexpected," he says to the room at large once they've heard her stomp all the way down to the basement.

Red slaps his head in the same manner he'd slapped Eric's, and it's stupid but it makes Hyde feel like part of the family. "Go fix it," the older man orders, and it's as simple as 'do as Red says or die'.

"Fine," he gives in easily enough, "But I'm taking the last piece of cake."

He figures he can use it as an olive branch. Or just shove it in her face when she starts to whine. Properly armed, he marches down the stairs, sits in his usual chair, and waits her out.

"Go away."

He ignores her. "Jackie, it's your birthday. That means people are going to be showering you with attention all day long. And you got presents! What could you possibly be angry about?"

"You didn't get me anything," she mumbles sullenly, still not looking at him.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Don't be stupid, Steven," she replies. "Mr. and Mrs. Forman gave me a party, and Donna got me a shirt that looks a little cheap, but is actually kind of pretty, and Kelso gave me a picture of himself, and Fez returned all my clothes he's ever stolen, and even freakin' Eric managed to stick twenty bucks in an envelope! And everyone was so nice and so great, and I know it's half 'cause my dad's in jail and they feel sorry for me, but really, Steven! I hang out with you more than almost all of them! Why couldn't you at least _pretend_ to care about my birthday?"

"I said 'happy birthday' to you this morning," he defends himself.

"Grunting it over a bowl of cereal _so_ doesn't count, Steven Hyde," Jackie insists. "And then you talk and giggle with Donna while I'm trying to enjoy my cake! I can't decide if you're selfish or stupid."

He bristles. "Okay, first of all … I don't _giggle_. I chuckle. In a manly, masculine, macho fashion. Get it? And second … were you _jealous_?"

"Ha! Jealous? Please." She flips her hair over her shoulder haughtily. "I'm way prettier than Donna, the whole football team says so. Besides, what do I have to be jealous of? It's not like I _like_ you or anything."

Hyde tries to ignore that the subtle dig hurts a lot more than it should. "Well, if you don't like me, then you definitely don't need a gift from me, so I guess I'll just return it."

Jackie perks up instantly. "You _did_ get me something?"

"Like you'd let me live if I didn't," he scoffs. "Here."

He pulls it out from under the coffee table and hands it over, watching her face carefully as she tears away the newspaper wrapping. "Steven!" she gasps, her joy lighting up her face. "It's beautiful!"

'It' is a necklace, a delicate silver chain from which a thin cursive 'J' hangs. Immediately, she gathers up her hair and settles onto his lap, her back resting against his chest. "Can you do the clasp for me?"

It's harder than one might think, and he fumbles a time or two before getting it right. "Victory," he finally proclaims, and she turns to hug him tightly.

"Thank you," she murmurs sincerely, "It's the perfect present."


	10. Truth Or Dare

So this is it! The end, finito! I could've dragged it on and on – and I was tempted, lol – but this was more a starting ground just so I could get my feet wet with the characters and their stories. Now I've been brushing up on season 8 and am really looking forward to doing something with that. Hope you all enjoyed this story!

**Truth Or Dare**

Donna knows that Jackie likes Hyde. Subtlety isn't exactly the girl's forte, not to mention the fact that she confessed to Donna at one of their girl's nights a while back. "I think I might like Steven," were her exact words, followed by a heartfelt sigh and, "Unfortunately."

Ever since then, she's been waiting for Hyde to pull his head out of his ass and stop acting so disinterested since it's plain as day that he wants Jackie. However, it's been months and he's yet to step up to the plate, so Donna has taken it upon herself to goad them into some sort of action.

"Can we please _do_ something?"

Jackie's whine is the perfect opportunity and Donna, like any good strategist, pounces. "I know! How 'bout we play a game? How about … oh, I don't know, truth or dare?"

"Boo!" Eric intones, giving her the thumbs-down.

"No, Eric, that's a great idea," Hyde says. Everyone stares. "Oh, wait, I forgot, we're not thirteen year old _girls_. God, Donna, I thought you were cooler than that. You sound like Jackie."

The girl in question harrumphs. "Well, I, for one, think it sounds like a great idea. Just because _some_ of us –" a dirty look in Hyde's direction – "don't have the guts to try something new, doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy ourselves."

"Oh, yes, let's enjoy ourselves," Fez encourages. "Does this game involve inappropriate touching?"

"Actually … it _can!_" Kelso realizes, slapping his friend five. "Fez, you're the _man_!"

Eric turns the television off and sets down the clicker. "Well, I'm in. I'll go first, uh, Donna?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'd say 'dare', but I know it'll just be something lame like kissing Jackie or touching Jackie or brushing Jackie's hair while we're both in bras. So … truth."

"Curses, foiled again," Eric mourns. "Uh … I don't know, guys, help me out?"

Hyde smirks. "Is Eric a good kisser?"

"Yes," Fez answers instantly.

"He's kidding! He doesn't really know that," Eric rushes to explain.

Donna shakes her head. "Enough already. Yes, Hyde, he is. My turn?"

Too late, Hyde realizes the trap he's just walked into. Calling Donna out on a private detail of her relationship gives her all the right in the world to give back as good as she got. Not that he has a 'relationship', per se. But Donna's no dumb blond, and he knows she has her suspicions about him and Jackie, and he knows that he could definitely regret agreeing to play this stupid game.

"Hyde," Donna chooses confidently. "Truth or dare?"

"Uh …" Well. He agreed to play. He never agreed to play by the rules. He can just … lie, he realizes. "Truth."

"Do you want to go out with Jackie Burkhart?"

Fez gasps. Kelso spews the soda he's been chugging all over himself. Eric freezes as a small voice inside him taunts that his girlfriend has bigger balls than him.

Jackie remains calm. Her eyes, however, do fly to Hyde's face, searching it for every telling detail it could possibly betray.

He's planned to lie. He has his lie mapped out and ready to go – a quick, are-you-kidding-me laugh, followed by a serious 'not a chance'. Just the right mixture of amusement and disdain. He's going to lie.

But somehow, with Jackie's blue eyes locked on his as she bites her lip almost imperceptibly, he can't. He just … can't. She would cry, and he doesn't want to make her cry. Besides, what's the point? He's been working his way up to telling her for weeks - months, even. Might as well bite the bullet.

"Yes," he mumbles, none too loudly, but the room is silent enough to hear a pin drop and there's no doubt to what he's said. The reaction, however, is nothing like what he's expecting.

Jackie stands up and gets right in his face, her eyes flashing furiously. "Well, don't sound so happy about it, Steven Hyde! God, what's a girl have to do to get a little romance around here, huh? You know, first it has to be dragged out of by a stupid game – in front of _everyone_, mind you – and then you make it sound like you're accepting a life sentence or something! Well, guess what? I don't like _you_. In fact, I want nothing to do with you!"

He stands too, so fast that he almost knocks his chair backwards. "That is such a _lie_, Jackie, and you know it. At least I'm mature enough to admit that I wanna go out with you which, believe me, is no easy thing to do."

"Oh, right, I'm _such_ a hardship," she snaps. "I'm beautiful, popular, rich, and a damn good kisser."

"I second that," Kelso agrees from his place amidst their audience and their heated _Shut up!_s are in absolute unison. "Sorry."

"You'd be lucky to have me," Jackie continues, "And furthermore –"

"You're right," Hyde cuts her off.

Her mouth slams shut. "I'm – what?"

"You're right," he says again. "You _are_ all of those things. The problem is, Jackie, I'm not and I don't want to be. Except for a damn good kisser, that one I've got covered."

"It's true," Fez pipes in, nodding wisely.

"Could we have some _privacy, _please?" Hyde bursts out, exasperated.

"No, they stay," Jackie tells him sternly. "If you can't say it in front of a crowd, then you don't really mean it."

"Fine." Still, he lowers his voice a few decibels, hoping to save himself the embarrassment of the guys reenacting this moment word-for-word later on. "Jackie … I really do like you. Yeah, you're shallow, and a cheerleader, and completely not my taste at all, but … how can I put this? You're hot. You make me laugh. You make me happy. And … you make me feel like I deserve it."

"_Oh, _Steven!" she cries, melting at the words. She falls into his arms like she's been waiting to do for months and it's even more romantic than all the times she fantasized about it, because his hands are calloused and his sideburns scratch her skin and she knows it's _real_. "That is the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! You had me at 'you're hot'!"

Donna sits back, admiring her handiwork as the two touch foreheads and slowly lean in for their first kiss. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she sighs dreamily.

"Are you kidding?" Eric watches at his oldest friend proceeds to make out with his greatest enemy. "It's the end of the world. And also … not quite how I imagined this game ending."

Kelso pats his shoulder. "Don't worry, man, if you squint … you can pretend Hyde is Donna."

Fez nods happily. "It is very sexy."

Donna doesn't know which one to slug first. "You know … you guys really know how to ruin a happy ending."


End file.
